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Author: Subject: 12 v. compact air compressor recommendation??
Don Pisto
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[*] posted on 4-4-2023 at 08:12 PM


good stuff Harald!



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PaulW
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[*] posted on 4-5-2023 at 08:06 AM
400P


I have a 400P mounted inside the new jeep on the C cage pillar. Last year it failed to deliver air. Sent it back and they fixed it and told me the head gasket was installed incorrectly. No charge except for shipping one way. Since then after 4 or 5 uses it fills 4-37s from 18 to 37psi ok. But I think it it too slow compared to my previous CO2 setup. The 400P sure gets hot and the air hose will probably be the next thing to fail due to heat at the compressor end. I have it mounted 1.5' from my aux battery with a 10 ga wire. The battery holds at 13.5 volts during the fill process with the jeep engine running at idle.

Quote: Originally posted by John M  
I was able to hard mount it out of the way under the hood and hard wired it. A The air hose remains attached, also helps prevent dust from getting in the way. The supplied factory hose is plenty long enough to reach all four wheels on my Tacoma.

I don't usually drop the air pressure below 20 psi, and have 31s. Compared to others along on a recent trip, I was usually the second one aired up - first went to an onboard converted York air conditioning compressor.

The overheating of the hose I mentioned earlier occurred when I was airing up a guy with us, after doing my 4 tires, and he needed 65 lbs. At about 45 lbs is when the hose on my Viair gave up the ghost I'm assuming due to the heat generated - though I may have stretched the hose to reach his truck adding some stress to the hose.

John M

[Edited on 4-4-2023 by John M]
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[*] posted on 4-5-2023 at 09:44 AM


the 400P is only 30% duty cycle and delivers only 2.3 CFM
both numbers are at the lowest end of an acceptable range




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willardguy
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[*] posted on 4-5-2023 at 10:22 AM


not being big off roaders we just carry the cheap mv50 but what we did was make up a pigtail with battery clips to a 120 volt plug and a receptacle at the compressor with a heavy duty 25' extension cord that was handy to have to remote a generator etc.
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PaulW
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[*] posted on 4-5-2023 at 11:21 AM


Search for 'off road compressors reviews' you will find the current choices that have pretty good specs - like more than 5 CFM and with decent duty cycle.
Times are changing. The $150 ones have matched the $600 versions.
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[*] posted on 4-5-2023 at 11:46 AM


Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Search for 'off road compressors reviews' you will find the current choices that have pretty good specs - like more than 5 CFM and with decent duty cycle.
Times are changing. The $150 ones have matched the $600 versions.


sometimes the market is good for us




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[*] posted on 4-6-2023 at 08:16 PM
I’ve had one of these for years


Works great. Best to run the motor while using it as it draws a fair amount of power.

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[*] posted on 4-7-2023 at 06:08 AM


So, there you have it...
As I said before the replies all came in, there's a lot of love for the Viar, and at least one has an ARB. One more Nomad came forward who has the MV-50 which remains under-appreciated for a pump that is, or was, in the $80-$100 range. For me, it never overheats or needs a time-out when filling four 32" x 16" tires from 15 to 34 psi, in the summer, and the fuse or wires don't melt (like the Harbor Freight cheap/ fast one).




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[*] posted on 4-8-2023 at 11:50 AM


Yeah, let me also chime in for the Viair!

I have tried lots of compact air pumps, and this is the best. It's quiet, doesn't overheat, and hasn't failed me yet.

My adventure van has a huge fancy onboard pump, but for compact pump needs I have a Viair in all my other cars.




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[*] posted on 4-9-2023 at 08:08 AM


I've had my Viair 400p for 12 years. Spent the first 10 years in a Jeep TJ on 35's and 36's. I've never had to stop while filling tires and it's never felt slow. On one trip a friends Smittybilt compressor died, I filled my tires then his 35's, no problem. Sold the Jeep couple years ago, still have the compressor. It will fill my Dodge diesel rear tires to 80 psi no problem. I did replace the hose at some point. It also has gotten hot enough to melt the rubber snubs that hold it to it's factory mounting plate. My .02
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[*] posted on 4-10-2023 at 05:34 PM
Thank you, one and all!!


Great input
Lots of options which I am sorting through
Best of all- everyone stayed on topic and it didn't veer off into "stuff"

This is absolutely what Nomad is all about, and commendations all around
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[*] posted on 4-10-2023 at 05:46 PM


Quote: Originally posted by thebajarunner  
Great input
Lots of options which I am sorting through
Best of all- everyone stayed on topic and it didn't veer off into "stuff"

This is absolutely what Nomad is all about, and commendations all around


Well as it turns out, a "WOKE" compressor and a "MAGA" compressor put out the same amount of hot air!




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[*] posted on 4-11-2023 at 08:05 AM


https://www.amazon.com/ALL-TOP-150Psi-Compressor-Portable-He...

Harold recommend this unit to me a few years ago. It has worked great . I air down my F350 carrying a large Bigfoot camper down to 30PSI on the rears and 20PSI upfront in soft sand. I have to air up back to 75/65 PSI once back on gravel. This unit can do all my tires in 15 min.

I also own a VIAIR. It is a great unit but it took a longtime to air up because I had to wait to let it cool down.

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[*] posted on 4-11-2023 at 09:11 AM


Quote: Originally posted by Mulege Canuck  
https://www.amazon.com/ALL-TOP-150Psi-Compressor-Portable-He...

Harold recommend this unit to me a few years ago. It has worked great . I air down my F350 carrying a large Bigfoot camper down to 30PSI on the rears and 20PSI upfront in soft sand. I have to air up back to 75/65 PSI once back on gravel. This unit can do all my tires in 15 min.

I also own a VIAIR. It is a great unit but it took a longtime to air up because I had to wait to let it cool down.



That looks really nice... I missed seeing it mentioned by Harald. If my MV-50 ever fails, I will get one of these.




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[*] posted on 4-14-2023 at 08:50 AM


I run a Viair 450P, hard mounted and wired in my Tacoma's bed cubby. It works great as a portable as well, with 100% duty cycle. Something to consider, is buying a compressor without a tank. If you're using it to fill up tires, the small portable tank is almost instantly depleted, yet takes up considerable space.
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[*] posted on 4-14-2023 at 09:31 AM


Quote: Originally posted by danojeno  
I run a Viair 450P, hard mounted and wired in my Tacoma's bed cubby. It works great as a portable as well, with 100% duty cycle. Something to consider, is buying a compressor without a tank. If you're using it to fill up tires, the small portable tank is almost instantly depleted, yet takes up considerable space.


you are right - if you only fill up tires, the tank is not needed
however, if you run air tools, the tank is needed as a buffer




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[*] posted on 4-14-2023 at 12:12 PM


I used a portable viair 400p for years to fill 33" tires on my 4x4, usually in baja trips.

Pros:
* Fills tires successfully
* Cheap
* No install required

Cons:
* Kinda slow
* The 5-in-1 inflator at the end of the hose is unusual and a bit fragile. mine eventually failed. replacements available from viair but i had to go to a llantera to fill my tires that day.
* no tank or pressure switch. requires open chuck inflator or the proprietary 5 in 1.
* have to dig it out from under all the gear and clip it to the batteries to use

I have since switched to a hard mounted ExtremeAir Magnum and a Jaco inflator w/analog gauge

Pros:
* Fast. 100% duty cycle.
* Always available. Push a button. Connect a hose. Fill tires fast.
* Has a tank and pressure switch and can be used with a closed chuck.
* All standard components. Want a better inflator? Air nozzle to blow out dust? Small air tools? Go to town with this bad boy.

Cons:
* Costs more
* Requires installation. But in the end I'm glad I installed it once rather than having to set up viair at every use.

Both get the job done.

Quote:
Something to consider, is buying a compressor without a tank. If you're using it to fill up tires, the small portable tank is almost instantly depleted, yet takes up considerable space.

If you can find room for a decent size tank it is nice to have even for filling tires. When moving from one tire to the next the tank is building and storing air. It speeds the process. I have a 2g tank mounted under the rear cross member, behind my rear bumper. It's definitely a nice-to-have.

[Edited on 2023-4-14 by WideAngleWandering]




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[*] posted on 4-15-2023 at 04:52 AM


Viair makes a family of compressors of varying size and fill rates. I have had good luck with this brand. My only complaint is the air hose that comes with the compressor is hard coiled plastic, and does not have much reach for the volume. I replaced it with a 20 ft rubber hose.
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[*] posted on 4-15-2023 at 08:06 AM


All seem to be pretty low flow compared to the latest offerings on-line.
I found my 440P to be the slowest of all the other guys in my group for filling tires. That is confirmed when studying all VIAIR offerings.
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[*] posted on 4-16-2023 at 07:05 AM


https://www.dewalt.com/product/dcc020ib/20v-max-cordedcordle...

Or something similar.








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